Is Apple (AAPL) Testing the iPhone 6?

TheNextWeb [TNW] reports that references to Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)’s upcoming iPhone iteration, possibly ‘iPhone 6,’ and the next iOS software release, ‘iOS 7,’ have been spotted in app logs by an iOS developer who saw a device carrying an ‘iPhone 6.1′ identifier powered by iOS 7 — for reference, the current iPhone 5 carries an ‘iPhone5,1′ and ‘iPhone5,2′ identifiers, depending on the LTE model of the smartphone — making specific app requests from an IP address within Apple’s secretive Cupertino campus.

TNW’s report states, “the sources provided some developer logs, which show, among other things, an IP address from the Cupertino campus for app requests, indicating that the Apple posse is currently testing available apps for compatibility. Aside from these slivers of information from the usage logs, sources have stated that Apple will complete iOS 7′s features in the near future.”

In 2012, iPhone app makers first noticed iOS 6 references in their app logs in May. The next month, Apple’s latest build of its mobile OS was announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco to then be released for public use in September, the month that also witnessed the iPhone 5 launch.

If Apple’s past behavior is any indicator of future behavior in terms of the co.’s software release pattern, then we could be six to seven months away from our first official glimpse at iPhone 5S running iOS 7. According to Taiwan-based Commercial Times, full commercial production of the rumoured iPhone 5S will begin as early as Q1 FY 2013.